Sheila Jordan, Brilliant Jazz Singer and Educator, Dies at 96

We join with the jazz community in mourning the death of Sheila Jordan, who passed away on August 11 at the age of 96.

(Pictured at right: Sheila Jordan with the Studio Orchestra, Jeff Holmes, director, in 2011)

Sheila Jordan with the UMass Studio Orchestra in 2011
August 15, 2025
General
Sheila Jordan
An integral part of the UMass #JazzinJuly summer programs for 35 years, Jordan was a mentor, friend, and inspiration to generations of artists, students, and audiences alike, and she will be greatly missed.
 
Jordan was a transformative teacher to singers at Jazz in July, which was founded by jazz greats Fred Tillis, Max Roach, and Billy Taylor. She met Max Roach when she was just fifteen or sixteen years old in Detroit, and later crossed paths with Billy Taylor while singing at Mitten’s After Hours in Harlem. Her connections to Roach, Taylor, and Tillis eventually led her to Jazz in July, where she taught for several decades, leaving an indelible impression on her students, fellow faculty, and the program. 
 
She also was a guest artist multiple times with the UMass Studio Orchestra (Jeffrey W. Holmes, director), including appearances at the Jazz Education Network Conference in Louisville and The NAFME Eastern Conference in Hartford CT. She received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from UMass in 2017.
Sheila Jordan

During a 2011 interview celebrating Jazz in July’s thirty-year anniversary, Jordan said, “I love the kids. I love working with them. You gotta keep the music alive, and that’s what I am. I’m a messenger.

“I’ll do anything for this music. … My life is dedicated to the beautiful music of jazz. That’s why I do it,” she said.

The recipient of a 2012 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in jazz, Jordan was known for her scatting and ability to reach listeners emotionally.

Portrait of Sheila - album cover

Over the course of her prolific career, Jordan worked with such acclaimed artists as Charles Mingus, Herbie Nichols, and Lennie Tristano, among many others. She was a member of the vocal trio, Skeeter, Mitch, and Jean; a member of the Steve Kuhn Quartet; and recorded solo albums. With the release of her first album, Portrait of Sheila (1963), she became the first female vocalist to record for Blue Note Records.

Listen to sound recordings of Sheila performing with the UMass Studio Orchestra, Jeff Holmes, director, in 2011:
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Jimmy Webb)
Sheila's Blues
 
Watch this video of her singing "Sheila's Blues" with a quartet in Detroit in 2012 at the age of 83.